Top 5 Non-Resident Concealed Carry Permits For Travel

February 1, 2016 8:33:45 AM PST

The Best Non-Resident CCW Permits For Travel

As a New Hampshire resident, I lament the fact that New Hampshire has dirt for concealed carry reciprocity. In order to travel and obey the law in other states, it's necessary sometimes to pursue non-resident concealed carry permits. Many states offer non-resident permits and others stipulate you must be a resident in order to apply. In this article, we'll feature five tiers of different states that offer non-resident concealed carry permits so you know which one gets you the furthest for your time and energy.

Tier 5: Honorable Mention

Tier 5 is arguably the most common non-resident concealed carry permitting scheme. They usually require a standard background check, perhaps fingerprinting, and definitely have instructors spread around the United States offering courses geared for their state criteria. Unfortunately, with Virginia and Nevada being the two most common for non-resident CCW classes in an out-of-state environment, neither really enjoys as much reciprocity as some of the states further on down the list. Worthy of mention, nonetheless:

• Idaho – 28/50

• Virginia – 28/50

• Nevada – 29/50

Tier 4: Florida, South Carolina and Utah

Tier 4 is certainly populated with plenty of states which offer out-of-state CCW classes geared for their requirements. The big exception to this is South Carolina. In order to obtain a non-resident concealed carry permit in South Carolina, the person has to own or lease land in that state. That makes the requirement both irritating and absolutely nonsensical. But, dems da rules.

• Florida – 30/50

• South Carolina – 30/50 *Must own or lease land in South Carolina

• Utah – 30/50

Tier 3: Colorado and Arizona

Arizona actually has a non-resident concealed carry permitting program that rivals the breadth of many states' resident concealed carry permit in terms of reciprocity. As a constitutional carry state, residents of Arizona are not required to obtain a permit so long as they are legally allowed to own a gun. However, for out-of-state non-residents wishing to apply for an Arizona non-resident permit, they will be required to undergo Arizona's rules in terms of training and paperwork. Worth the while, though because Arizona's non-resident CCW permit is acknowledged by a whopping 32 out of 50 states.

Colorado follows in short form with their non-resident permit being acknowledged in 31 out of 50 states.

• Colorado – 31/50

• Arizona – 32/50

Tier 2: Kansas and North Dakota

Two places that I never believed my research who reveal had such a fantastic non-resident concealed carry program: Kansas and North Dakota. North Dakota ranks up in the top echelon for reciprocity for their resident concealed carry permit. Their non-resident permit holds very closely to that reputation. Kansas, on the other hand, arguably has just a bit more of an advantage in their resident CCW permit than their out-of-state... Not something I would expect.

• Kansas – 33/50

• North Dakota – 33/50

Tier 1: Tennessee Wins Again With Reciprocity

Research has revealed that Tennessee has the hands-down best concealed carry program in the country in terms of reciprocity for both residents and non-residents. Whereas about six more states will acknowledge a Tennessee resident concealed carry permit rather than a non-resident, both have a great breadth of territory under their belts.

• Tennessee – 34/50

If you see your state missing, don't feel sad. We basically went through as many as we could and compared and contrasted them. A lot of states that offer non-resident concealed carry permits fall into the range of 28 states reciprocal and below. That's relatively normal. When shopping for a non-resident concealed carry permit, pay close attention to which states acknowledge that non-resident permit. You may find a lot of overlap between your resident permit and your non-resident out-of-state permit.